Women anglers get chance to shine

Apparently the demand for this has reached high enough for
commercial interests to notice. And so the first-ever Texas Lady
Anglers Redfish Shootout Professional Fishing Tournament is scheduled
for Sept. 30 in Rockport.

Part of the credit should go to Karol Scardino and her annual Babes
on the Bay fishing contests, which attracted nearly 600 women anglers
this past Mother's Day weekend. Surely this would have gotten the
attention of anyone seeking a prime location for such an endeavor.
After several years of staging bay-only contests for a growing number
of women anglers, Scardino introduced a new contest this year called
the Babes Offshore Spectacular, which featured 20 anglers in eight big
boats vying for a top prize of $11,000.

These contests have served as fundraisers for saltwater conservation
programs. I'd like to see each contest that exploits a public resource
include some element of conservation. Over the years, Scardino and
crew, through their tournaments, have raised tens of thousands of
dollars for conservation and brought in thousands more in tourist
revenue. While participation in this inaugural event does not require
membership in the Texas Lady Anglers Association, members will be
eligible for special prizes. To learn more, visit HYPERLINK
http://www.texasladyanglers.com www.texasladyanglers.com.

This lure-only contest is expected to attract at least 25 two-angler
teams, organizers said. Like the men's tournaments, teams are allowed
to weigh in two live slot-size redfish per boat. There is a weight
penalty for dead fish. All live fish will be released after the event.
Unlike many other redfish tournaments, this one is a single-day
affair.

A debate over pending changes to trout regulations south of the
Landcut has local anglers speculating where this might lead and
why.

A public hearing to gauge public acceptance of these changes for
Lower Laguna Madre (south of the southern end of the Landcut) is
scheduled for 7 p.m. Sept. 27 in Room 1003 of the Carlos F. Truan
Natural Resources Center at Texas A&M University-Corpus
Christi.

Proposals to tighten or regionalize trout regulations for Lower
Laguna Madre come from concern over a slight downward trend in trout
stocks there, Texas Parks & Wildlife officials said. State
biologists are considering recommending lowering the daily bag or
increasing the minimum length or doing both. This meeting is open to
the public. Call 825-3356.

Below is a list of some trout-management options that TPW biologists
likely would plug into a computer model designed to determine probable
outcomes for each plan. This would help fishery managers estimate the
impact of each rule change on the Lower Laguna Madre spotted seatrout
population and the time span for each recovery period.

15-inch minimum length with a five-fish daily bag.

15-inch minimum length with a six-fish daily bag.

15-inch minimum length with a seven-fish daily bag.

15-inch minimum length with an eight-fish daily bag.

16-inch minimum length with a 10-fish daily bag.

16-inch minimum length with an eight-fish daily bag.

16-inch minimum length with a seven-fish daily bag.

16-inch minimum length with a six-fish daily bag.

16-inch minimum length with a five-fish daily bag.

Below is a timeline for the rule-change process regarding Lower
Laguna Madre trout.

Now through October - continue to gauge regional and
coastwide acceptance levels for rule change in the Lower Laguna Madre,
while conducting research to determine which rule proposals would best
serve the fishery.

October-November - TPW Coastal Fisheries staff narrows list
of preferred options for TPW Commission review. Commissioners would
vote on which plans to put before the public. The plan could involve
lowering the daily bag, raising the minimum length or both.

November-December - Series of scoping meetings to gauge
public sentiment regarding each management option. Expect one in Corpus
Christi.

January - TPW Commissioners and staff arrive at a single
concrete management proposal to list on Texas Register, followed by a
period set aside for public comment.

April - TPW Commission vote on a single plan of action to
improve the Lower Laguna Madre trout population. This could end in a
vote to not change a thing.